Elle Campbell – 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

by Elle Campbell

Have you ever felt like you cannot do justice to all your thoughts? Have you ever felt that you need to learn to express yourself better? Have you ever read something you wrote and felt like it could be improved? If your answer to any of the above questions is yes, you have come to the right place. A writer is an artist who can make something come alive just by weaving a scene with words. It is not only about imagination. It calls for an uncanny ability to express what you feel, see and think. Still, developing your writing skills can be done by showing a little perseverance and determination. Here are some tips that will definitely help you become a better writer.

1)      Really look around- The key to becoming a good writer is to really observe what is happening around you. Search for inspiration in really mundane objects. Look around you and see what goes on. Clear your mind and you will see everything better and from a different perspective. Learn to see the beauty and raw nature of everything. Sit silently in a place that can really stir your imagination. It can be a crowded place or even a quiet corner of your garden. Pick a place and indulge your senses in everything that unfurls before you. Really see and listen.

2)      Read, read and read- Reading helps develop your brain and tickle your thought processes. You will learn different manners of saying the same thing. The various alluring ways in which authors present their thoughts and ideas will inspire you to develop your own unique style. Also, sentence formation and expression can be learnt by reading a lot of books. Amalgamation of opposites, blending incoherent ideas, mixing up the plot and adding some hint of mystery and uniqueness can all be derived from reading books. Books will help you have an active imagination and create a world of your own.

3)      Indulge your senses- Sight, hearing, smell, taste, etc all constitute important parts of describing something. In order to really describe something, feel it deeply. Think about how it will feel when placed on you, tasted by you or smelled by you. Do not be afraid to get your feet wet. Go and experiment if you have to. Close your eyes and think about what you are hearing. Focus on any one sense at a time to glean knowledge about the object. Change the angle in which you are viewing the object. Change your manner of viewing or hearing to know more.

4)      Passion- Have you ever noticed how nicely you can talk about something that inspires you or something that you are passionate about? The key to becoming a good writer is to be truly passionate about the subject you are writing about. Be sure to know the difference between passion and fanaticism. Venture out of your comfort zone and come up with new ideas that truly motivate you.

5)      Notes- Make a note of everything you feel, hear, see and think. In this manner, you will get into the habit of expressing yourself well. Also, your thoughts and ideas will inspire you later to delve deeper into a subject that you find interesting. Carry a notepad with you wherever you go. Know that each little thought passing through your head has the ability to manifest into something more. Give it the opportunity that it deserves.

6)      Interact with people- Interacting with people will definitely help you broaden your outlook. Knowing what their life’s story is, their trials and tribulations will help you see things happenings around you in a better light. You will be able to analyze more and you are bound to be more knowledgeable about human nature and psychology.

7)      Travel- Seeing all there is to see on this earth will help you gain knowledge and exploit innovative ideas. Also, travelling will help you describe things better. Be sure to mingle with the local people and be a commoner when you decide to see a new place.

8)      Go the extra mile- develop your language and vocabulary. Take a class if you have to. Learn the basic grammar and manners of expression. Consolidate you knowledge of the language in which you are attempting to write something.

9)      Use your imagination- A colorful imagination can come in handy when you are looking to improve your writing skills. View everything in a new light by adding some element of your imagination. Add depth to your thoughts by painting pictures of the words and scenes that you think about. Choose to look at everything that may or may not be happening through your mind’s eye.

10)   Write, write and write- Developing your skills will only be possible if you devote some time everyday to writing down what you think. Re- read what you have written and think about how it could be better. Make someone read what you have written and take their criticism positively. Maintain a journal and jot down what you feel and daily occurrences. Develop the habit of writing by putting aside some time specifically for this purpose.

Becoming better at something is only possible if you have the right amount of dedication and are willing to work hard. Becoming a good writer is no exception to this rule.

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Genre – NonFiction / Beauty & Fashion

Rating – PG

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Website http://truefashiontrends.com/

The Benjamin Chronicles: Relativity by Matthew DiConti

CHAPTER SIX

There was a brightness in front of Conal’s eyes, a white light, almost as though he was staring directly into the sun. But his eyes were closed, squeezed tightly shut against the pain throbbing in the back of his head.

He heard someone screaming in the distance, it sounded as if the voice he heard was coming from under water. He opened his eyes slowly, and his head began to spin. He was nauseous from the pain.

“Conal! Conal!”

The voice was hysterical.

His head rolled in the direction of the sound. His vision was blurred; he could only see blobs of shapes and colors. What was the one moving toward him? The voice got louder as the blob moved.

“Conal!”

A familiar face, a pretty face floated above him.

I know her. The face was a comfort, an image he had seen many times before. She seems worried. Why?

It all came back to him as his vision began to clear. The tunnel of light, the shock as he grabbed the handle, the shaking levers, Abby.

“Abby.” Relief shone in her eyes as he wheezed her name.

“Oh, thank God. Conal, I need you to wake up. I don’t know what’s happening. Where are we? I don’t know what to do.” She convulsed in tears, her sobs wracking her entire body.

Conal struggled to sit up, fighting off waves of nausea and the overwhelming desire for sleep. “It’ll be all right, Abby. It will be okay.” He swallowed his words as he surveyed his surroundings.

In truth, he fully expected to wake up on the floor of the gymnasium, humiliated from having hallucinated the entire thing and passing out.

He could not have guessed where he had ended up. His heart was pounding at the possibilities.

And then he was vomiting, his head exploding as his stomach retched and he clutched onto cobblestone in a futile attempt at finding stability.

Clearly he had been knocked out when they landed, or whatever it is that you do in a time machine.

Even a concussion could not keep at bay the sarcastic chuckle under his breath. He hardly dared to let himself imagine that this had actually happened.

The scent of horse manure carried lightly to him on a chilly breeze and he began to gag again. “Oh my God, okay, that’s disgusting.” Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, he thought to himself

Abby cringed bitterly as she helped him to his feet. “I’m sorry, I just don’t do well with throwing up. Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” I don’t have a choice. “Just shaking the cobwebs loose.”

“So do you have any idea where we are?”

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Genre - Paranormal Fiction

Rating – NC17

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Elle Campbell – Why Blogging is Important

Why Blogging is Important

by Elle Campbell

Writing is an art, a skill and it is best done by those who have lots of passion for it. As a writer, you want to stand out, get recognized and grow to become a well-known author. However, the biggest challenge lies with getting your work out there. How do you get known? Is it possible for thousands of people to appreciate your work? Well, the answers to these questions lie with the effort and strategies that you use to make your work visible to the right audience. As such, blogging is one strategy that has taken the centre stage in ensuring that writers get the recognition and attention they deserve.

Writers who want to establish a fan base need to use effective strategies to achieve this. Writers who have never tried blogging may wonder how this strategy can help them become well known authors with a long list of fans. True, this is a common concern especially for those who truly do not understand how blogging works or probably have never tried it before. Blogging is natural and it requires some effort. Many kids have been known to scribble something on the back of their books, which has often been dismissed. However, this is actually the beginning of blogging. Good writers can use such writings to calm down troubled thoughts and attain a fan base in the process. The advantages of blogging for writers are in plenty and they will be delved in this article.

Build Trust with Your Audience

Writers who display consistency with their blogs, tend to build a lot of trust and enhance a stronger relationship with their audience. Writers who are inconsistent with their blogging or forget to update the blogs at least twice or thrice a week will definitely lose out to the competition. Keep in mind, that there are thousands of people out there who are actively blogging as they try to build strong online reputations. By being away for just one week, you could end up losing a huge following. Thus, writers who want to establish a fan base should release fresh content often so as to capture the attention of the fan base and keep them alive. By establishing a loyal following, you will be making your way in to becoming a well renowned author. Also, it is worth mentioning that blogging allows you to network with your fans, understand their needs and get fresh ideas.

Blogging is Cost Effective

The costs of constructing and maintaining an effective website can prove to be quite high while the maintenance of a blog is done by one person. The owner customizes the blog and most of the blogging services come at no cost. However, in some cases, the blogger may have to part with a few dollars for customization. Today, the cost of running an effective blog is not above $ 50.00 a year. This means that you can use the blog as a cheap way of marketing your writing. With this approach, you will reach out to your target audience at minimal costs.

More Orders for your Books

Those writers who are looking for additional orders for their books can use blogging to achieve their objectives. The beauty about blogs is that they allow you to work as you advertise the services or products that you are offering. By writing articles that are SEO optimized, you will expose yourself to increased traffic that generates leads, which can easily be converted in to traffic.

Seemingly, blogs have grown to become an integral part of any business and writing is not an exception to this. People blog about all sorts of things such as lifestyle, food, shopping, magazines, pets and so much more. Every subject in the planet is covered in the blogging world. The importance of blogging among writers cannot be underestimated since blogs are kept as a way of maintaining communication with the target audience. The beauty about blogging is that you can receive a healthy and unbiased feedback from your audience and at the same time remain connected with your fan base.

Many writers have used blogging to showcase their work. For example, from my own personal experience blogging for truefashiontrends.com, it opened a whole new gate to readers who are interested in my particular niche. It is a wonderful thing as I find blogging so much fun and it helped me greatly to communicate with better with my readers.

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Genre – NonFiction / Beauty & Fashion

Rating – PG

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Website http://truefashiontrends.com/

Frank Hawthorn Is Blindsided by James M. Copeland

“I remember seeing it once when I went down to the river bar and grill to follow a client. It’s off to the left as you make the turn going to—I believe the name of it is The Landing—just off the highway, isn’t it?”

“You got it right. You can’t miss those twin silos!”

A waiter distributed salads for everyone at the table along with two bowls of dressing. Frank took the one nearest him and dipped what he wanted and sat it down to his left.

After everyone was served and munching on their salad, the young Fisher asked.

“Mr. Hawthorn, I see your name tag states that you are a private investigator. What’s the name of your agency?”

“The Hawthorn Detective Agency.”

“Seems like I’ve seen your place before; is it downtown near the courthouse?”

“I wish! No, I’m off the beaten path in an upstairs office several blocks from downtown. There is an agency down there where you’re talking about, but I think they only deal with cheating husbands or active wives. My work is mostly with crime situations.  Although I’m in between cases at the moment. That’s the reason I was free for the visit here tonight.”

“Maybe we’ll learn something tonight . . . hopefully,” the elder Fisher said.

Frank was beginning to feel the program was a waste of time, however. The speaker was well dressed and proved the point of the advertised statement about the seminars by collecting the twenty-five dollars at the door. He was very plain in his approach. He said, “The first thing you have to do to make money . . . is to have some!”

After a few minutes of the presentation, Frank decided he had made a bad choice unless he could count the dinner, which wasn’t bad. He slipped quietly out the side door. True, he didn’t have a great deal of money at the present moment, but he knew why. When he and Lieutenant Troy Spiegel started out as police officers on their beat, they were dealing with public riff-raff in circumstances that included stealing money. Their superiors felt like they did a good job at the petty stuff and were boosted to detective positions in an unusual amount of time. Frank wouldn’t say that some of the other officers let some things slide—they had just been there and grown up with some of the small-time crooks and didn’t want to start anything that would upset the families who lived there.

He and Troy were both outstanding in their work. It didn’t matter to them if the kid was going to grow up to be a crook; he needed to change right then. Better to nip it in the bud. After Troy and Frank were made detective, they had the opportunity to mentally grow in their pursuit of criminals. They got the big guys, even some white-collar criminals. One such bust included many people involved in a crooked scheme to bilk people out of their money. They actually thought the police chief was a good guy, one of the best in blue! They wondered what made a man do that. Nobody liked the district attorney, not even the guys who were dealing with him in the scam of a lifetime. As far as they were concerned, the judges on the bench were a higher caliber of person and would never lie to anyone, let alone a victim of a crime. But then, the criminal was the victim. It took a long time getting all the dope on the guys. Frank and Troy didn’t dare let the scam out until they had all the “i”-s dotted, and the “t”-s crossed; too much of a chance they would be behind bars unless they had the goods on the schemers. When this happened, they were both brought into the limelight. Troy got promoted to precinct commander, and Frank decided to go into private detective investigation. Now he had to wait on someone who wanted the bad guy caught and would pay him for the job. He still liked the work. He just didn’t enjoy the irregular money as much as he did when the city was paying his salary on a regular basis. Thank goodness, he had taken on some cases that paid extremely well and had money stashed in the bank. He had thought of adding a receptionist, and moving to a better location, maybe even buying a house. He’d get to that later he figured!

~

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Genre - Crime Mystery

Rating – PG

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Website http://jamesmcopelandnoveli.wix.com/

I, Walter by Mike Hartner

Chapter 1

"I, Walter Crofter, being of sound mind. . . ." Bah, this is garbage! I tossed my quill on the parchment sitting in front of me. People may question my sanity, but they should hear the whole story before judging me. I’m sitting here, now, at the age of 67, trying to write this down and figure out how to tell everything. I don’t know if I'll ever get it right, though. Too many secrets to go around. However, this is my last chance to offer the truth before I die. The doctors say it's malaria, yet I'll be fine. Perhaps. But if the malaria doesn't kill me, my guilt indeed will. Maybe if people know the facts surrounding my life, everyone will have a better understanding.

I dipped the tip in the inkwell again, and wrote:

I was born September 2, 1588, and named Walter. I didn’t belong in this Crofter family, who were storekeepers in London and not farmers as our surname might indicate to those who study this sort of thing. My parents were courteous and even obsequious to our patrons. Yet they received little or no respect. The ladies came to us to buy their groceries or the fabric for their dresses, but as seemly as they comported themselves, and some even called my father 'friend,' it was not out of regard for him. I was forced to run. Well, "forced" might put too harsh a point on it, like that of a sword, but others can judge for themselves.

By the time I reached the age of 12, I'd found another family that was more "me". They weren’t rich, but they were comfortable. The parents had several children, including a girl my age who was named Anna. Within two years, we had come to know each other quite well, and were getting to know each other even better. Her father caught us getting too close to knowing each other better yet, and showed up at my parents' house with a musket in his hand, telling them if I ever came near his daughter again, he'd use it on me--and then on them.

I paused to dip the pen and wipe my brow. Even though I was wearing a light cotton shirt, it was bloody hot in early August in Cadaques. My wife, Maria, entered the room and looked at my perspiring face and what I had just written. Between fits of laughter, she smiled at me with wide lips and said, "You can't possibly write this. You're not the only boy a doting father ever had to chase away. Nobody cares about this sort of thing."

"It will at least give a pulse to this writing," I replied. "It's too boring to say I left because I was mismatched with my own family, so much so that I was positive someone had switched me at birth. Or that I thought I was ready for more in life than what I could find at home. Nobody would read that, not even me."

"I agree, so tell the story that really means something. All of it." She sighed softly and placed the parchment she had been reading on the desk in front of me and kissed my cheek. The gleam in her eyes shed 20 years off her age and reminded me of a much gentler time. God, how much I love her.

I said, "Before I met you, I spent my life like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. I’m just trying to make my story more interesting."

"I’ve heard the accounts of your life before you met me. Or I should say found me. It was anything but boring. So, if you insist on including in the story lines like those you just wrote, make sure they're the only ones. If you don't, I'll consider adding my own material." She winked. "You know I’ve had good sources."

She turned and walked away, laughing loudly as I called after her, "Yes, dear."
I dipped the quill and put it to parchment again.

In my earliest days, I remember my father, Geoff, being a bit forceful with other people. I also recall my brother Gerald, nearly five years my senior, and myself being happy. Or at least as contented as two boys could be who were growing up in the late 1500s in England, and working every day since their seventh birthdays. It was a time when boys were earning coin as soon as they could lift or carry things. The money could never be for themselves, however, but for the parents to help pay the bills.

Father lived as a crofter should. He was an upright man and sold vegetables off a cart like his grandfather did, and he also dabbled in selling fine fabric for the ladies of status.

One afternoon, when I was eight years old, my brother came home and got into a heated debate with my father about something. When I ran to see what was the matter, they hushed around me, so I never got the full gist of the argument. But whatever it was about, it was serious, and the bickering continued behind my back for five straight days. When I awoke on the morning of the sixth day, Gerald was no longer at home. And he never came back.

Soon afterwards, my father lost enthusiasm for his business and became generally passive. I assumed this was because of Gerald's leaving, and only on occasion would I see flashes of my dad's former self.

At the start of my tenth year, our family moved closer to London. We rented the bottom floor of a three-story building in which several families lived in the upper floors. My father said we relocated because he needed to be closer to more business opportunities. But my mom didn't believe he'd made the right decision, since he was now selling food out of a cart and not inside a storefront. One night, she greeted him at the door when he came home. She was wearing a frown and a dress that had seen better days.

"Did you bring in any decent money?" she asked him before he had time to take off his coat.
"I told you, it will take some time. It's not easy to make good money these days."
"Especially when you let the ladies walk all over you."
"I know, I know. But what am I to do when they aren't running up to me to buy what I'm selling?"
"You at least bring home some food for us?" My father had carried in a bag under his arm.
"It's not much, a few carrots and some celery." He handed her the bag.
"What about meat?"
"We're not ready for meat yet."
"That’s true enough," my mother said. "But you should at least try to feed your family. Walter's growing, and so are our other children."
"Leave me be, woman. I'm doing the best I can for now." He sat in his chair, leaned his head against the wall, and fell asleep.

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Genre – Historical Fiction/ Romance

Rating – PG

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Max and the Gatekeeper by James Todd Cochrane

Max and the Gatekeeper – James Todd Cochrane

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle UK

Genre – YA, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Rating – PG13

4.4 (81 reviews)

Free until 7 September 2013

A war has been waging for centuries; a magical and technological battle between good and evil. This conflict will affect life everywhere, but not everyone is aware it exists. When twelve-year old Max Rigdon is sent to stay with his grandfather for the summer, he unwillingly enters the fight.
The day Max steps off the bus he is marked with an evil curse and immediately becomes the target of evil men and creatures with designs on ruling the universe. Not only does this curse cause Max physical pain but it allows his enemies to track and find him. He soon learns that the reason for this unwanted attention is because his grandfather is the keeper of a gateway; a powerful machine that makes travel to hundreds of strange unknown worlds possible. The enemy will do anything to gain possession of this power in their quest to control all worlds.
With the help of his friend Cindy and others, Max must quickly learn the necessary skills to survive if he is to avoid the deadly trap that has been planned for him and his grandfather. A trap that has been decades in the making with Max as the missing piece. If successful it will change life as we know it.

Reaching for the Moon: More Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen (1927-1929)

I’m glad I’m alive” Doris Louise Bailey, a teen in the Prohibition era, writes this sentiment over and over in her diaries as she struggles with a life-threatening bout of scarlet fever. But it’s also an apt summation of how she lived in the years following her brush with death. Reaching for the Moon: More Diaries of a Roaring Twenties Teen (1927-1929) contains Doris’s true-life adventures as she flirts with boys, sneaks sips of whiskey and bets on racehorses – breaking rules and hearts along the way.

In Portland, Oregon, she’s the belle of the ball, enjoying the attention of several handsome gents. In Arizona, she rides a wild strawberry roan, winning races and kissing cowboys. From hospital wards and petting parties to rodeos and boarding school, this older, more complex Doris faces the dawning of the Depression and her own emergence as a young adult with even more humor, passion and love of life than she showed in her earlier diaries. Readers of all ages will relate to her pursuit of true love, freedom, and adventure in her own time and on her own terms”

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Genre -Biographies & Memoirs

Rating – PG13

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Blog http://www.thedorisdiaries.com/